There is a new episode of the Cincinnati Bengals‘ reality television show with defensive end Trey Hendrickson. Hendrickson wanted a new contract, then he said trade me, then the Bengals couldn’t, then he held out, then he showed up and you know the drill.
Now, it seems like the Bengals are open to trading him again. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network says the Bengals are now fielding offers for the man with 17.5 sacks in each of the last two years.
“With contract talks at an impasse, the #Bengals are listening to trade offers for perennial Pro Bowler Trey Hendrickson, per me & @TomPelissero,” Rapoport posted on X.
“Itâs unclear if the NFL sack leader will be playing elsewhere in 2025, and a trade will be a real challenge. But time will tell.”
If one had to guess, the Bengals have lowered their trade demands.
What would the Bengals get for Trey Hendrickson realistically?
If it was easy to move Hendrickson and get good value for him, they’d have done it months ago. It’s just as tough for the Bengals to trade Hendrickson as it is for the Dallas Cowboys to trade Micah Parsons. No one is handing over a superstar for nothing and the team that wants him also has to pay him.
That’s a lot of resources, which narrows down the amount of potential trade partners. If I want Trey Hendrickson, I have be a Trey Hendrickson away from making noise. And, I have to have the cap space. And, I have to have the draft or player capital. And, I might have to have a general manager and head coach in win-now-or-lose-my-job mode.
That’s a lot of “and’s.”
The Indianapolis Colts could use the help, and Shane Steichen and Chris Ballard are probably on their last legs. The Minnesota Vikings are in a relatively open NFC. How many more years do the Buffalo Bills want to lose to the Kansas City Chiefs? Heck, maybe the Chiefs want in too.
The point is there is a market for a 17.5-sack edge rusher without question. But, how much do the Bengals want? More than a first-round pick?
Duke Tobin weighs in on Trey Hendrickson
What conversation about a critical veteran contract negotiation would be complete without hearing from the Bengals’ Director of Pro Personnel, Duke Tobin, who has very little pull? (He should really just be called general manager…but Bengals).
âI got a ton of respect for Trey,â Tobin said this week. âTreyâs a fierce player. Thatâs what we look for â we donât want guys that are on the periphery. We want guys that are in the mix, heâs in the mix. I know he loves football. I know he loves the camaraderie in football, the preparation in football, the practice in football.
âSo all those things, I know he loves, and Iâve got so much regard and respect. And hopefully, we can get this thing going to where heâs active and up and running and helping the Cincinnati Bengals and his teammates win games. And he can help.â
Yeah, but he’s really on the trade market (and probably never came off of it if we’re being honest) too, Duke. We’ll see what happens and we’ll all find out together. Stay tuned for the next episode.
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